The present invention relates to an apparatus for winding paper and the like materials. More particularly, the invention relates to a system for winding paper and the like materials as such paper or other material becomes available for such winding.
Rolls of paper and the like materials are useful for many purposes. For example, rolls of paper are used for printing by such devices as adding machines, calculators, computers and the like. Often, only one side of the paper is printed upon and the paper is discarded. The other side of the paper is perfectly acceptable for printing use except that, prior to the present invention, no system has been available to allow efficient and effective use of the other side of the paper. It clearly would be desirable to provide such a system to enable use of both sides of the paper. Also, many prior art paper winding machines are relatively complex, involving springs and the like, and are, therefore, quite difficult to operate, particularly when the operator is visually impaired or otherwise physically handicapped.
Therefore, one object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus, e.g., a relatively simple and straight forward to operate apparatus, for winding paper and the like materials.
Another object of the invention is to provide an apparatus to enable use of the unused side of a roll of paper and the like materials one side of which has already been used, e.g., printed and/or written upon.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus capable of winding paper and the like materials of differing widths. These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become available hereinafter.
An apparatus for winding paper and the like materials has been discovered. The terms "paper" "and paper and the like materials" are used interchangeably herein and refer to one or more materials, such as those conventionally used, capable of being provided in rolls for use as a printing medium for devices such as typewriters, adding machines, cash registers, calculators, computers and various other printing systems.
The present apparatus comprises spaced apart first and second walls having first and second through slots, respectively; spool means adapted to receive the paper and around which the paper is wound; and motive means associated with the spool means and capable of rotating the spool means to thereby cause the paper to be wound around the spool means. The spool means includes a spool to receive the paper, the spool when in use being located between the first and second walls; a drive rod adapted to be placed in the first and second through slots, each preferably with one open end, and to which the spool is secured; and a rod gear assembly secured to the drive rod and providing mechanical communication between the spool means and the motive means. First and second pins removably secured to the first and second walls, respectively, are provided. These pins act to hold the drive rod in place in the through slots. Thus, simply by removing the pins from the walls, one can easily and simply remove or detach the spool means, preferably as a single integral unit, from the remainder of the apparatus, e.g., after the spool is filled with paper and/or to replace the spool. A new spool means can be easily and simply attached to the apparatus by passing the drive rod into the through slots and engaging the pins to the walls. No springs or pawls are employed or activated to provide for this detachment and/or attachment of the spool means. Thus, the present system can be conveniently and safely used by a physically handicapped person. In particular, the tactile nature of the present system allows use by visually impaired individuals with reduced risk of misoperation of the system and with reduced danger to the operator.
The system is particularly useful when employed in conjunction with a printing device or system, e.g., such as those noted previously. Thus, as such printing device or system prints on one side of the paper, the partially used paper becomes available for winding by the present apparatus. The present system, and in particular the present activator means, senses the presence of such paper to be wound (as will be described in detail hereinafter) and such paper is wound around the spool means until there is no paper available to be wound. At this point, the motive means is deactivated and the spool means stops rotating. As more paper to be wound becomes available from the printing device or system, the cycle is repeated.
The present apparatus provides an effective, efficient and reliable means to wind paper, e.g., thereby making the second side of a roll of paper useable as a printing medium. This apparatus is adaptable to be used in conjunction with a printing device or system to wind paper previously used by such device or system as the paper is used. The present apparatus preferably winds paper only when such paper is available for winding and is preferably capable of responding to the presence of such paper to be wound. In short, the present system provides for convenient and automatic (i.e., without human intervention) winding of paper, particularly for use of the second side of paper as a printing medium.
In one preferred embodiment, the present spool means is adjustable to allow paper of differing widths to be wound. This feature adds to the flexibility of the present apparatus. In a further preferred embodiment, the spool means includes a gear assembly to provide mechanical communication between the spool means and the motive means. Such gear assembly acts to facilitate rotation of the spool means by the motive means.
Preferably, the motive means comprises an electric, more preferably an alternating current (A. C.) motor. Alternately, the motive means can be powered by a direct current (D. C.) source, such as solar cells, one or more storage batteries and the like. In this embodiment, a high torque, low voltage D. C. motor is employed, thus eliminating the need for a relay and A. C. power source. The use of electricity as the power source for the motive means provides for improved co-ordination with the activator means (which is also preferably electrically powered) and adds to the convenience of the present apparatus. However, other sources of power may be used to drive the motive means, provided that the motive means functions as set forth herein.
An activator means associated with the motive means is preferably provided and is capable of activating the motive means to rotate the spool means in response to the presence of paper to be wound. The activator means, which at least indirectly senses the presence of paper to be wound, preferably includes a contact switch assembly. This contact switch has an open position in which the activator means does not activate the motive means, and a closed position in which the activator means does activate the motive means. The contact switch assembly moves from the open position to the closed position in response to the presence of paper to be wound. For example, in one embodiment when no paper is available to be wound, a segment of paper physically holds the contact switch assembly in the open position. In this embodiment, as paper becomes available to be wound, the paper can no longer hold the contact switch assembly in the open position, and gravity forces the contact switch into its closed position. As the paper is wound, the segment of paper in contact with the contact switch assembly becomes taut and forces the contact switch assembly into the open position, thus deactivating the motive means. In this manner and in the embodiment, the contact switch assembly cycles between the open and closed positions in response to the absence or presence of paper to be wound.
In a further preferred embodiment the activator means includes off switch means capable of being activated to render the activator means unresponsive to the presence of paper to be wound.
As noted previously, the activator means is preferably electrically powered, although other forms of power may be employed provided that the activator means functions as set forth herein. More preferably, the activator means is powered by a direct current (D. C.) power source. Such D. C. power may be derived from solar cells, one or more storage batteries, A. C. power converted to D. C. by, for example, a rectifier and transformer arrangement and the like.
The activator means preferably includes an electrical relay means, e.g., to provide communication between the activator means and the motive means, to allow the activator means to activate the motive means in response to the presence of paper to be wound.
The present apparatus preferably further comprises first paper guide means located before the contact switch assembly and a second paper guide means located after the contact switch means. The first and second paper guide means act to guide paper to be wound in proximity to the contact switch assembly (e.g., to provide for proper functioning of such contact switch assembly) and onto the spool means. As with the spool means, it is preferred that the first and second paper guide means be adjustable to allow paper of differing widths to be wound.
In the circumstance where a particular side (e.g., the unused side) of the paper to be wound is to be available for use as a printing medium, care must be exercised to provide for such availability. For example, if the rewound roll of paper is to be used in the same printing device or system as the original roll of paper, the rewound roll must be inverted relative to the original paper roll. That is, if the printing device or system prints on the top side of the paper, the present apparatus must be configured to provide that the unused side of the paper is on the top side of the rewound roll of paper. Careful consideration to the rotation direction of the spool means will provide proper orientation of the paper in the rewound roll. Thus, when the present apparatus is used to rewind a partially used (on one side) roll of paper for reuse, the apparatus is preferably configured to automatically invert the paper upon rewinding so that the unused side of the paper is available for use, e.g., as a printing medium.